Storage-battery-sealing device



Sept. 23, 1.924.

w. H. CALDBECK STORAGE BATTERY SEALING DEVICE Original Filed Aug. 25

pw Eiiw uw iii the sealing device,'the different parts illus-r Patentes sept'. 23, 1924.

y IncassiI UNITED- STATES PATENT oFFlcs.

'WENDELL H. CALDBECK, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIG-NOR TO 'VESTA BATTERY COR- PORATION, 0F CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

STORAGE-BATTERY-SEALING DEVICE.

application med August 2a, 1920, serial To all whom t may comcm:

Be it known that I, WENDELL H. CALD- BEoK, a citizen of the United States, and a 4resident of Des Moines, in the county of Folk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Storage-Battery- Sealing Device, of which the following is a specification.

'Ihe object of my invention is to provide a storage battery sealing device of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

More particularly it is my purpose and object to provide a sealing device adapted tor use with storage batteries, which will enable the ordinary parts vnow commonly in use to be used in the ordinary way, and will enable the connector members and terminal devices to be used and connected with the posts extended upwardly from the cells in the ordinary way, and will make the easy and thorough sealing of the posts with relation to the hard rubber cover members to be readily and easily and quickly accomplished, after the other parts have been `|assembled and connected.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

.in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a storage batte equipped with my sealing device, partsrbeing broken away for better illustration.

Figure 2 shows a vertical, transverse, sectional view through the posts at one end of the battery, illustrating the sealing devices thereon..

Figure 3 shows a detail,'sectional view of trating the sealing device in different positions.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the uppery surface of the Sealing collar; and

Figure 5 shows an inverted plan view of the sleeve used in some instances as a part of my invention.

It will be understood that considerable diiiiculty is .experienced in the assembling of a storage battery in sealing the posts which extend upwardly from the cells to the connector or terminal members in such No. 405,429. Renewed July 12, 1923.

a way as to make the absolutely tight.

In Figure 1 of the drawings herewith, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate generally the casing of the battery. I have illustrated a battery of the three-cell, seven-plate type. as at 11.

The upper end of the different plate or plates of each cell are connected with a pillar strap 12 from which there extends upwardly a post 13, slightly tapered toward its upper end, having near its lower portion a shoulder 14. The post 13 at the opposite end of each cell projects through a hard rubber cover member 15, whichhas suitable openings to receive the post, indicated as at 16. The cover members 15 are provided with rabbets 17, at the lower part of each opening 16. These rabbets receive gaskets 18, as illustrated particularly in Figure 2.

The post 13 is connected at its upper end above the cover 15, either with another cell by means of a connector 19, or with a current conducting wire, by means of a terminal 2Q. In my claims herein, I intend to cover by the use of the word connector, either the connector of the type disclosed at 19, or the terminal, as disclosed at 20.

Both the connectors 19 and the terminals 2O vhave on their under surfaces, sockets to receive the upper ends of the posts, and are ordinarily thoroughly fixed and connected with the-postsl by heating and connecting them together by molten metal.

At the right-hand part of Figure 2, I have shown the post 13 Ysealed to the connector 19. It is desirable that the sealing connection between the post and the connector should be made with as little strain and 'effort as possible, so as to edect an efficient result.' It is also necessary that the shoulder 14 should be drawn tightly against the gasket 18, and held there after the assembling of the batte has been completed.

It will be seen there ore that it is necessary in some way to draw the post upwardly, so as to draw the shoulder 14 tightly against the gasket. This is done in a great variety of ways and is sometimes done before the` sealing is accomplished, and the sealing isA done after` the parts are tightly held together. This requires the use of complicated clamps and results quite frequently in a poor job.

top of the battery The plates are indicated,v

d Where my device is used, the connector ,19 may kbe provided with spaced opposite grooves 21 in its under surface, having mvns clined surfaces. Before the connector is burned to the post, there is slipped over the post a sealing collar'22, having on its upper surface oppositely spaced, upwardly extending projections 23, having curved surfaces, and adapted in one position of the rotation of the sealing collar to be receivcd'in the respective recesses 21. The lowerv part of the collar 22 may have square portions 24: to` receive a wrench.

In assembling the parts just described, the collar is placed over the post with the pr'ojections 23 received in the recesses 21. The connector 19 is then burned'- to the post. Thereafter a wrench is placed on the collar 22 and the collar is rotated, until the projections 23 ride out of the recesses 21 to their position illustrated in Figure 3 'of the drawings at` the right-hand portion thereof.

Itwill thus be'seen that the rotation of the collar 22 will tend to force the shoulder 14 against thes gasket tightly for effecting a roper seal. 1f

At the left-hand part of Figure 2, I have shown a slightly different embodiment of my invention, which, however, is included Y in the spirit and urpose of my device. j

Where it is esirable to use my devicemith terminals 20 of the ordinary kind, which can be readily purchased almost anywhere, I provide asleeve 25, shown in inverted position in Figure 5, having a ange 26 at its lower edge, provided with recesses 27 ,y similar to the recesses 21. The sealing collar 22 is placed on the post 13 in the manner already described, and the sleeve 25 is then placed on the collar, as shown at the left-hand side of Figure 2. The'terminal 20 is then dropped over the sleeve 25, as illustrated at the lefthand side of Figure 2. I have shown the parts in Figure 2, Vas they would appear before the burning` of the terminals to the post andi the sleeve. The projections on the sealing collar are received within the recesses 27 of the sleeveV and the parts Aare then ready for sealing the terminal, which is s ort .of a. connector for the terminal connecting wire, to the post and to the -sleeve 25.

After this burning has been accomplished,

I I the sealing collar 22 is rotatedby means of a wrench, in the manner hereinbefore described, for moving the projections 23 out of register with- -therecesses 27 and `thereby forcing the shoulder 14- tightly against the gasket 18, andthereby tightly sealing or i oo connecting theA post to the cover 15.

v It will be seen that where my improved sealing collar is employed, the post may be burned to the eonnectnrrror terminal without paying kattention to the clam ing deyices or anything of that sort, an insuch manner that the vwhole attention of the mechanic canbe given to the burning process, which Should be very carefully done.

Vhen the burning has been accomplished, the rotation of the sealing collar makes a very tight 4joint between the shoulder 15 and the gasket onthe under side of the cover 15.

v Some changes may be made in the construction of the parts of my device, as will be seenl from the foreging description without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my purpose to cover by my claims, any modilied forms of structure or use 0f mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within there scope.

Vith my sealing device, roper attention can `be given to burning tie posts to the terminals and connectors to insure the securing of maximum conductivity, and the posts can be thoroughly sealed with relation to the covers, so as to prevent the escape of electrolyte or acid fluid from the battery around the posts.

The sealing .collars and the connectors or terminals or sleeves, as. the case may be, which coact withl the collars are preferably madeof lead composition. One of the coacting members should be made with more antilnony than the other to make it harder.

When this is done and the collar is rotated from one position to the other, as mentioned above, the harder member presses into the softer member and there is no danger Iof accidental rotation of the collar to osition for loosening the seal. I preferab y make the collar harder and the connector softer, because the connector has to endure greater strain in use, and when softer is less liable to break.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sealing device for storage battery cells, the combination with a cover member having a hole therein,` a post extended throu h said hole, said post having a shoul er, a gasket surrounding the st between the shoulder and the bottom o the cover member, a connector mounted on the lupper part of the post and burned thereto, a sealing and locking collar rotatably mounted on the post between the connector and the cover member, said collar and connector having respectivel on their adjacent surfaces a projection an a recess rovided. with inclined surfaces, the parts eing so constructed that they may be assembled and the connectors burned on when the projecgt ion is received ber having a hole therein, formed with a rabbet at 1ts lower portion, a post extended through said hole, said post having a shoulder, a gasket in said rabbet surrounding the post between the shoulder and the bottom of the cover member, a connector mounted on the upper part'of the post and burned thereto, a sealingand locking collar rotatably mounted on the post` between the connector and the cover member, said collar and connector having respectively on their adjacent surfaces a projection and a recess rovided with inclined surfaces, the parts eing so 'constructed that they may be assembled and the connectors burned on when the projecin the recess and thereafter the collar may be engaged and rotated for causing the projection to ride out of said recess for forcing the shoulder of the post on which the collar is mounted against the gasket for effecting a tight seal.

3.`In a sealing devicel for storage battery cells, the combination with a cover member having a hole therein, a post extended through said hole, said post having a shoulder, a gasket surrounding the post between the shoulder and the bottom lof the cover member, a sleeve on the upper portion of said post, a connector mounted on said sleeve, said connector and said sleeve and post being burned together, a lsealing and locking collar rotatably mounted on the post between the connector and the sleeve, said collar and connector having respectively on their adjacent surfaces a projection and a recess provided with inclined surfaces, the

parts being so constructed that they may be assembled and the connectors burned on when the projection is received in the recess and thereafter the collar may be engaged and rotated for causing the projection to ride out of said recess for forcing the shoulder of the post on which the collar is mounted against the gasket for effecting a tight seal.

4. In a sealing device for stora e batteries, the combination of a storage attery having a casing and cells with covers for said cells, said covers having holes therein with rabbets at their lower portions, gaskets insaid rabbets, a post extended through one of said holes having a shoulder for engaging the corresponding gasket, a sleeve on the upper part of said post spaced from the adjacent cover provided with a flange at its lower art, a conducting member mounted on saidjsleeve and burned to said post, and said sleeve, a sealing collar rotatably mounted on said post between said sleeve and the adjacent cover, said collar and said sleeve having substantially flat surfaces provided with .corresponding recesses and projections formed with inclined surfaces, whereby the parts may be assembled with the projections received in the respective recesses and the conducting member burned in place, and thereafter the collar may be rotated for causing the projections to ride out of the recesses onto a iat surface.

Des Moines, Iowa, August 16, 1920.

WENDELL H. CALDBECK. 

